1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a camera module, and, more particularly, to a camera module which can be thinned by changing the coupling structure of a housing and an infrared ray blocking member to reduce the entire height of the camera module.
2. Description of the Related Art
In accordance with the recent development of a technology of a portable terminal such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet personal computer (PC), and the like, the portable terminal has been used for multi-convergence such as music, a movie, a television, a game, and the like, as well as a simple phone function. The most typical product among products leading the development for multi-convergence may be a camera module. Such camera modules are being changed to have high density pixels and various additional functions such as auto focusing (AF) and optical zooming.
Such camera modules are downsized so that they are employed by various IT devices including mobile communication devices such as camera phones, PDAs, and smart phones. Recently, devices having small camera modules have been increasingly released to meet the various demands from customers.
Thanks to the recent trend of downsizing, reducing sizes of components are upcoming challenges in the industry. In the past several years, mobile communication technologies and electronic components technologies have been changed in accordance with such trend, and now miniaturization, ultra thinning and high integration technologies are being combined.
In particular, as mobile terminals employing camera phones are being developed to be smaller and thinner, there are strong demands to reduce the height of the camera modules.
Conventional camera modules mainly include image sensors such as CCD or CMOS. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, a conventional camera includes an image sensor 1 converting an external image signal into an electrical signal, a printed circuit board 2 to which the image sensor 1 is electrically connected, a housing 3 placed over the printed circuit board 2, and a lens barrel 4 which is accommodated in an upper portion of the housing 3 and installs one or more lenses L therein.
The above-described camera module requires an infrared ray blocking member which blocks noise light or inappropriate light (infrared rays, ultraviolet rays) unnecessary for capturing high quality images, and a window member which opens an imaging area of the image sensor and covers the rest of the area.
To this end, in conventional camera modules, a protruding portion 5 is formed on inner peripheral surfaces of the housing 3 to function as a window. Further, the protruding portion 5 on the inner peripheral surfaces of the housing 3 is combined with an infrared ray blocking member 6 therebelow, such that infrared rays of overly long wavelength, which is incident on the image sensor 1, are blocked.
However, since the housing 3 is formed by plastic injection molding, the protruding portion 5, which is formed in the housing 3 at the time of injecting the housing 3, needs to have a certain thickness in order to provide the window shape and make space in which the infrared ray blocking member 6 is attached. Accordingly, there is a limitation in reducing the height of the camera module.